Paris Train Station, Alternate PoV
A/N: Submitted because J is nagging me to... :p In case it isn't clear, this is what Nasnoona and the Doppelganger are talking about when Hez is watching them in the station.
"Right," said Nasnoona, as the train drew up in the Gare du Nord, "so have you got that?"
She winced as she got up, still stiff and aching from the kidnap and nights of imprisonment.
The Doppelganger nodded, looking determined. "Aye." He hesitated, then said, "It's risky, though. They might not fall for it."
"I don't care," she said. "We have to try. There's enough going on in the world at the moment." They had found out from a woman on the train what had happened in London. "We can't be having with this. If only you and I had been able to speak before..."
A few minutes brought them out into the main station, where they stood for a few moments amid the bustle, looking around.
"Now what?" said Nasnoona.
The Doppelganger gripped her arm suddenly. "Look like you're my captive without looking like it," he hissed into her ear.
She craned her head round to look at him in perplexed amusement. "What?"
"I mean, Hez is bound to have spies. The rendezvous point isn't here, but that doesn't mean she's not having us watched. So look captured, OK - "
"OK - "
" - except not - "
She found herself wanting to laugh.
"Don't!" he said, annoyed. "I mean, we don't want anyone else suspecting anything, do we?"
"OK, OK," she acquiesced, calming herself instantly, though not without another inner giggle. "I see your point."
And she tried to look captured without looking captured, the idea of which for some reason she found terribly amusing.
Coaxing her features into an expression of sullen resistance, but keeping her head high - a captive Nasnoona would have too much pride to slump her shoulders - she followed her compatriot obediently out of the station.
These last few days had taken their toll on her, she suspected. What was wrong with her? She was a Master and a spy, skilled in the arts of stalxing and being stalxed. She knew what she was about!
Or at least...it now seemed, she had used to.
For some reason, all of a sudden, she found herself incapable of seeing anything but the funny side of everything. Everything else had fallen away, all her worries about J, Hez, whether the plan would work. It had all been too much. There was nothing left, and now all that was making any impression on her was a sense of the ridiculous.
Hehe, she thought to herself, as they walked along the street. "Laughter."
"What?" said Rage.
His comment brought her back to herself, but she had to take a moment to retrieve her train of thought.
"Laughter," she said again, still smiling. "What if that's the cure? What if we could only all see just how funny we're being?"
Rage looked perplexed. "We have the plan. We can't alter it now..."
"No no, we should go ahead with the plan," she hastened to assure him. "I just think laughter might be something to bear in mind."
She was thinking about what the Voice had said.
She craxed up again. It had all been too much. Ah well, she thought. She was going to have to pretend to be sweet and innocent and scared when they met Hez...she might as well get it all out of her system now...
"Right," said Nasnoona, as the train drew up in the Gare du Nord, "so have you got that?"
She winced as she got up, still stiff and aching from the kidnap and nights of imprisonment.
The Doppelganger nodded, looking determined. "Aye." He hesitated, then said, "It's risky, though. They might not fall for it."
"I don't care," she said. "We have to try. There's enough going on in the world at the moment." They had found out from a woman on the train what had happened in London. "We can't be having with this. If only you and I had been able to speak before..."
A few minutes brought them out into the main station, where they stood for a few moments amid the bustle, looking around.
"Now what?" said Nasnoona.
The Doppelganger gripped her arm suddenly. "Look like you're my captive without looking like it," he hissed into her ear.
She craned her head round to look at him in perplexed amusement. "What?"
"I mean, Hez is bound to have spies. The rendezvous point isn't here, but that doesn't mean she's not having us watched. So look captured, OK - "
"OK - "
" - except not - "
She found herself wanting to laugh.
"Don't!" he said, annoyed. "I mean, we don't want anyone else suspecting anything, do we?"
"OK, OK," she acquiesced, calming herself instantly, though not without another inner giggle. "I see your point."
And she tried to look captured without looking captured, the idea of which for some reason she found terribly amusing.
Coaxing her features into an expression of sullen resistance, but keeping her head high - a captive Nasnoona would have too much pride to slump her shoulders - she followed her compatriot obediently out of the station.
These last few days had taken their toll on her, she suspected. What was wrong with her? She was a Master and a spy, skilled in the arts of stalxing and being stalxed. She knew what she was about!
Or at least...it now seemed, she had used to.
For some reason, all of a sudden, she found herself incapable of seeing anything but the funny side of everything. Everything else had fallen away, all her worries about J, Hez, whether the plan would work. It had all been too much. There was nothing left, and now all that was making any impression on her was a sense of the ridiculous.
Hehe, she thought to herself, as they walked along the street. "Laughter."
"What?" said Rage.
His comment brought her back to herself, but she had to take a moment to retrieve her train of thought.
"Laughter," she said again, still smiling. "What if that's the cure? What if we could only all see just how funny we're being?"
Rage looked perplexed. "We have the plan. We can't alter it now..."
"No no, we should go ahead with the plan," she hastened to assure him. "I just think laughter might be something to bear in mind."
She was thinking about what the Voice had said.
She craxed up again. It had all been too much. Ah well, she thought. She was going to have to pretend to be sweet and innocent and scared when they met Hez...she might as well get it all out of her system now...